Living Gratefully is sometimes hard

This is the
season for "Thanks" here in America, isn't it? Next week we
will be celebrating our national holiday of Thanksgiving. People will be
gathering all over the country reminding each other of all the things for which
they are thankful in their lives.

The problem
with that is; that not everyone is in a thankful mood. There are many, many
people who have had to deal with tragedy and loss. They are dealing with the
loss of family members, the loss of friends, the loss of jobs, the loss of
homes, cars, and things that cannot be replaced. Some of us despair over the
condition of our county and the loss of moral values in our government and our
society in general.

Sometimes it is
difficult to "Be Grateful," in general; much less live gratefully all
of the time. How do we cope? How do we not read the words of Paul in Philippians 4:4, where he says: "Rejoice
in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice," and not, at times,
feel resentment?

Are we wrong to
feel discouraged? Are we wrong not to go around smiling and laughing all the
time? Honestly; I don't think we are wrong for having emotions and feelings
which are not always in line with rejoicing. We often see Jesus as he is
weighed down with the unbelief of the Jewish nation sorrowing and weeping. If
you are human, then sometimes you are going to hurt.

I believe that,
even though he wrote the words above, the apostle Paul sometimes had trouble
rejoicing "Always". How many times did he chastise those who hurt the
cause of Christ? How often did he warn that judgment is coming to those who
fail to hold onto their faith and serve Satan? Really, do you think he rejoiced
in doing that? I don't!

I believe that
the point Paul was making is that we must never lose sight of the promise of
our hope in the future. Yes, sometimes it's difficult to rejoice or to be
thankful, but that is only until we remind ourselves that this world is only
temporary and that all loses on earth don't really matter eternally. Our live
is more than just the daily grind, pain and loss we suffer here; it is the hope
for the future in which we rejoice! When I remember that, I honestly can
rejoice always (or in all ways), because I remember the eternal promise of God.

TOLERANCE AND GOD

We are living in a very
difficult time in our world. We live in a world where tolerance is often
demanded by those in our society and our government. One definition of
tolerance which I read said, that: "Tolerance is being forced to put up
with something with which you disagree" .

Recently in California a law was passed saying that if a
boy feels that he was really a girl or a girl feels that she is really a boy;
that they must be allowed to use whatever dressing room or shower room they
desire in the public schools. In other words a boy may join you daughter in the
school showers and you daughter may join the boys in their school shower. Also,
a law was passed that said that if your son or daughter had these inclinations
that you are forbidden (by law) as a parent to seek counseling for them. This
is some folk's idea of what tolerance should be like.

As I consider this I think
their idea of tolerance is just plain crazy! It's not unlike the Calvin and
Hobbes cartoon which was run not long ago.

Calvin and Hobbes are shown walking through the
snow. Hobbes asks: "How are you doing on your New
Year's resolutions?"



Calvin replies: "I didn't make any. See, in order to improve oneself, one
must have some idea of what's 'good.' That implies certain values. But as we
all know, values are relative. Every system of belief is equally valid and we
need to tolerate diversity. Virtue isn't 'better' than vice. It's just
different."



Hobbes replies: "I don't know if I can tolerate that much tolerance."

Calvin response was: "I refuse to be victimized by notions of virtuous
behavior."

That in a nutshell is the
problem. People demand tolerance of their ideas based upon the concept that
there can be no right or wrong, no good or bad. This flies in the face of all
of us who were raised with strong moral and ethical values. Yes, I will readily
admit that my values are based upon God's Word, the bible, but then to begin
with so were most of the laws of our land.

To declare that there is no
true right or wrong, no definable good or bad is ludicrous. There have to be
constant's by which we can guide our society or it will crumble around us,
which is what I am afraid is beginning to happen. It is like declaring a three
egg omelet is good, because it only had one bad egg in it. You can say it is
good, but that does not make it so.

We see developing in our
country a path, a way that is taking us away from everything that made us a
great nation. "The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the godly
will flourish. There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends
in death." (Proverbs 14:11-12, NLT) Is there truly no right or
wrong, no good or bad? God say that there is. Notice what he says in Revelation
21:8 "But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those
who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars, their fate is in
the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death, (an eternal
separation from God)."

Some today are saying,
"Who is this God? He's not real! He is only the remnants of an old
mystical teaching. Psalms 14:1, tells us: "Only fools say in their hearts,
'There is no God.' They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of
them does good!" You can be tolerant of evil or you can decide
that there really is a right way to live. The choice is yours!

MY CURRENT MOST HATED EXPRESSION

Have you ever heard someone say something really dumb? I mean something
that indicates that they really haven't thought before they spoke. Here are a
couple of examples:

l     
"A
fellow nurse at my hospital received a call from an anxious woman. 'I'm
diabetic and I'm afraid I've had too much sugar today,' she said. 'Are you
light-headed?' my colleague asked. 'No," the caller answered, "I'm a
brunette.'

l     
Here's
another dumb statement: "Most cars on our roads have only one occupant,
usually the driver." (Carol Malia, Anchorwoman).

OK, we can all read these statements and realize that they were not
thought through before they came out of the peoples mouths. Granted these
things are just dumb, they have no lasting consequence or importance in the
grand scheme of things, but shouldn't we think before we speak?

My current most hated expression is "Oh
My God." I am so sick of hearing this pop out of the mouth of almost
everyone I meet. It seems that no one can express surprise anymore without
misusing the name of God in what they say. You hear it a hundred times a day on
television as well as on the radio. We as a people have lost our respect and
reverence for the creator of our universe, our Heavenly Father, our God, when
we use His name in such a frivolous way.

Have you heard someone casually use the name
of our God as a curse, an exclamation of frustration or even surprise? Sure you
have, maybe you've done it yourself. That is only a small example of one way we
can speak out of habit rather than through thought. Let me encourage you
however to start thinking before you speak. There are things that are of more
consequence to us than we sometime think! Let me encourage you to say something
to those who do this and remind them just who's name they are invoking.

 

Jesus speaking in Matthew
12:35-37 says, "The good man out
of his good store gives good things; and the evil man out of his evil store
gives evil things. And I say to you that in the day when they are judged, men
will have to give an account of every foolish word they have said. For
by your words will your righteousness be seen, and by your words you will be
judged."

So how about it, how about stopping
and thinking before you speak, especially when you are speaking about things that
will effect your eternity. After all Jesus said the things that come out of our
mouths, are a result of what has been stored up inside of us. Yes, you can say
you are sorry for having said something, but wouldn't it have been easier not
to have said it at all.

 

Dear Dad

I was in a second hand shop the other day and bought a book,
yes a real book printed on paper. I have nothing against electronic books, I
have a tablet which lets me read books on it also, but I guess I'm of the
generation that still likes to hold a book printed on real paper too.

Anyway, a few days later I started reading the book. As I
normally do, I read the front and rear covers and normally check to see what
year the book was written, etc. (just a curiosity of mine). While looking the
book over I found an inscription in the front of the book and the inscription
has more meaning than the book it'self.

In 1993 two children, Rachal and Richard wrote this message
(in part) in the cover of the book: "Dear Dad… I read something today that
reminded me of you, so here it is… 'A father is strong, yet flexible; wise, yet
always learning; a leader, yet serving others.' That's you dad! We love
you."

We all dream of having the "Perfect" relationship
with our children patterned after some thing we have seen, read or been taught.
The problem is that many in our world rarely have that kind of relationship. We
have been blessed in our family in the fact that now as adults our children
seem to like us pretty well, but it wasn't always that way when they were growing
up. There were lots of times when they probably didn't like us very well, maybe
even wished they had other parents who were more like their idea of the
"Perfect" parents.

That's part of what being a dad is about though, isn't it? A
dad is a source of love and protection, but he is also a source of rules and
discipline. As the inscription said, "A father is strong, yet flexible;
wise, yet always learning; a leader, yet serving others." The Scripture
instructs us as parents, to "Train up a child in the way they should go."
(Proverbs 22:6), and from experience I can tell you, that's not always easy.

Too often today, it seems that Dad's try and be "Best
Friends" to their children, but you can't "Always" be in that
place, because God gave you a greater job. Sometimes you have to face up to the
fact that there are times while they are growing up, that you kids won't like
you very well, but that's how it is suppose to be. Because no one likes to be
disciplined, the scripture tells us, "No discipline is enjoyable while it is
happening, it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of
right living for those who are trained in this way." (Hebrews
12:11, NLT)

Now that they are adults our children can appreciate the
discipline they had while growing up in our home. Occasionally, I'll even get
the "Dear Dad" note or phone call. Those are special and meaningful,
but I don't believe they would happen, if I had been less than a "Real
Dad" while they were growing up. So, dad's, if you want to change the
world, if you want to raise good kids, step up to the place and responsibility
God has given you.

And Rachal and Richard, you message is still appreciated,
even by a different dad than your own.

Russ Lawson, Messages From The Heart

BLOG: http://messages-from.blogspot.com

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THE HOT WHEEL'S CRASH….

Yesterday I was
reading my diary from a couple of years ago and read about the following
incident. I thought perhaps it would be worth sharing my insights…

Well, the grandson
was here again today and as is usual, the unusual happens when he is around.

Grandma had to leave
for a little while and he has asked me to take him for a walk (translation: you
walk with the dog on the leash and I'll ride my hot wheels bike with you trying
to keep up). Well that afternoon we did take our walk, got out the Hot Wheels
and put on the riding helmet and took off. We enjoyed looking at bugs on the
sidewalk and even stopped by his preschool teachers home, but she wasn't home.
It wasn't a long walk, just around a large block in the city, so when we got
home we stayed outside and let him ride his Hot Wheels on our paved driveway.

The drive has a
pretty good slope down to the garage and he enjoys going to the top of hill and
coasting back down as fast as he can go. Well, this went well for a few times
then he started to get tired and said, "Grandpa, would you push me back up
the hill?" Of course I did and that became the routine. He would hold out
his feet and I would push him pretty fast (for a grandpa) back up the hill.

Well, one of the
times we were going up the hill I saw his feet dip and get mixed up with the
tire and the Hot Wheels started to turn over and I stumbled into it and started
to fall on top of him and the bike. Without even thinking about it I wrapped my
arms around him and the bike and threw myself over on my side and roll over
with him and the bike ending up on top. Thankfully he wasn't hurt at all, but
for grandpa, that's a different matter. It's not terrible, it's not life
threatening, but try skidding on broom finished concrete. I got a couple of
scrapes that drew enough blood to get a couple of oohs from Christopher, as
well as my back, shoulder, etc. muscles hurting like I was beaten. Christopher
told me a kiss from grandma and a Spiderman bandage would make it all better. I
however made a quick trip to the pain reliever bottle and waited for
grandmother to get back and doctor me.

The question is,
"Why did I do that without a moment's hesitation"? The answer is that
"I love him more than myself and have no hesitation at taking any pain to
prevent his injury. Any similarity between God and me is purely accidental, but
the motivation is the same isn't it. The question is "Why did God allow
his Son to die on a cross"? Because he would do anything to prevent pain
and separation for his people, the human race! "For God so loved the world
(people) that he gave his only begotten son that who ever believes on him
should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

A kiss and a
Spiderman Bandage won't take away your sin; it took the sacrifice of a life to
do that!

Have you said
"Thank You to God lately"?

(Grandpa) Russ
Lawson

Memorial Day

 

"Memorial Day
is a United States federal holiday
which occurs every year on the final Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of
remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Formerly known
as Decoration Day, it originated
after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil
War. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans
who have died while in the military service." (Wikipedia)

Remembering those who were willing to give their life for
you shouldn't take a special day. It shouldn't have to be declared by a
government to make it something special. However it seems to be human nature to
forget some of the most important events or people. We don't mean to, we have
the best intentions, but somehow it just happens that we forget.

Jesus knew human nature and understood our weaknesses.
That's why he instituted things in his church such as "Communion" or
"The Lord's Supper". He knew that although we have the best
intentions, we would eventually forget his sacrifice, unless we were constantly
reminded.

In Mathew 26:26-28
we read, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke
it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he
took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins." (KJV)

The apostle Paul explains it in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 in this way, "For I pass on to you what I
received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord
Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces
and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember
me." In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant between God and his people, an
agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as
you drink it."

I encourage you to celebrate Memorial Day. Celebrate the day
that remembers those of our military who were willing to die that you might
live free. But more than that, I encourage you to meet with your church,
partake of Communion and remember the one who died that you might live free
eternally.

Mother's Day - The Gift

Gifts are sometimes not thought out before they are given. A
report this past week said that Mother's Day gifts are much harder to find (or
purchase) than Father's Day gifts. Harder, in the fact that they take more
thought to find an appropriate gift. Another survey said that most people spend
between $40 and $100 on Mother's Day gifts, whereas Father's Day gifts are
typically between $15 and $25.

 

Understand I'm not complaining in any way shape or form, I'm
just trying to make the point that it's sometimes hard to find the perfect
gift. I'm reminded of a gift box we one time received while working as
Missionaries in Kenya, East Africa. Some good friends wanted to do something
special for us and fixed us up a special box. They wrote us about it and kept
check with us to see if we had received it, but wouldn't say what it was. It
took over 6 months for the box to arrive (you never know if you will actually
receive a box from America
or not, but we did.)

When the box arrived, I commented that it looked like an
elephant has stepped on it. With great anticipation we opened the box and found
a gallon can of Tapioca pudding (one of my favorites) and a bag of Mikesell's
Potato Chips (crisps) from our home state in Ohio (one of my wife's favorites)
and a couple of bags of chocolate.

Can you imagine a box, six months in transit with a gallon
can of Tapioca and a plastic bag of potato chips and chocolate (which had set
in the hot sun in a shipping container in the docks in Africa looked like when
we opened it? Actually the can made it through pretty well with only some minor
rust, the potato chips were now potato dust and crumbs and the chocolate was
large lumps (rolled in potato chip dust).

Do you want to guess our reaction? We were thrilled to get a
box from home. We enjoyed the stale potato chip crumbs and used some of them in
cooking, we ate the chocolate anyway and opened the can and ate the Tapioca
pudding. We rejoiced that these dear friends had remembered us in the far away
foreign land and had sent their love in the form of a battered box.

All of this is to say, with gifts, it really is the thought
that counts! Love is shared, not in things, not from spending money, but in
remembering to let the one you love know that you love them!

Mother's, we children and husbands sometimes stumble on that
point, but know that you are loved and appreciated for all you were and are in
our lives!

Some of the foundation principals in relationships is found
in 1 Corinthians 13:7, where we
read: "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures
through every circumstance". (NLT)